


Of Robots and Haircuts

by Liji



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, F/M, First Dates, Gender Dysphoria, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mormonism, Shiro's family is mormon, Transgender, Transphobia, boy meets girl, can you believe this?, coffee shop AU, except a whole lot less cis, foster brother keith, guys i wrote heterosexuals, non binary pidge, referenced klance, shallura - Freeform, transgender shiro, typical boy meets girl story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:07:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liji/pseuds/Liji
Summary: Shiro didn't know what to expect after coming out as transgender.
Having the most beautiful girl he'd ever met spill scalding coffee all over him, however, was definitely not it.
(In which Shiro keeps accidentally making innuendos, Allura is a flirt, and everyone else in the coffee shop is watching these two blushing teenagers.)
JULY 2018 EDIT: NVM SHIRO IS A PROUD GAY MAN AND AS A PROUD LESBIAN I DECLARE THIS FIC CANCELLED YAY GAY PEOPLE





	

**Author's Note:**

> Awkward high schoolers meeting in a coffee shop? Done.

_ Snip.  Snip.  Snip. _

 

Shiro took another handful of hair and cropped it off, watching expressionlessly as the grey locks hit the wooden floor.  The scissors were heavy and difficult to maneuver, but they would do.  They had to do.

 

“Honey, are you in there?” his mother called through the bathroom door in concern, knocking on the door. 

 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a breath.

 

“Yeah Mom, just give me a moment,” he called back.  “Just, uh, doing my hair.”

 

His mom laughed.

 

“I know how long that will take, little missy.  Just be ready in time for church, okay?”

 

Shiro bit his lip.

 

“Actually Mom, I’m not feeling very well.  Can I just stay home today?”

 

He waited nervously as there was silence on the other end of the door.  He finally heard a sigh.

 

“I suppose so.  I’ll tell Shannon that you’ll be attending the Young Women’s activity this Wednesday then.”

 

Shiro bit back a groan.  He hated the church’s youth groups.  Not only did he feel horribly out of place on camping trips with girls, he always came home from them hating himself a little more.

 

“Sounds good, I’ll see you later,” he called back.  He waited until he heard his mom walking away before taking a deep breath and plugging in the razor he’d seen his mom use to cut his brother’s hair so many times.  It whirred to life and he held it to the sides of his head but hesitated, taking in a moment to really look at his reflection.

 

His once long, wavy hair was cut short, already highlighting the sharpness of his face and making him look more masculine.  There was still something inherently  _ girl,  _ about his face, something he hoped hormones would be able to change one day.  

 

“You are a man, Shiro,” he reminded his reflection, feeling a little foolish doing so.  “No matter how the world perceives you.”

 

Was he really going to do this?  Steeling himself, he brought the razor to the sides of his head and shaved the hair off neatly, creating a close cropped look he had seen in a magazine once.  The faint buzzing of the razor echoed in his ear as the last snips of grey fell in the shining clean marble sink.  His mom would have a fit if she saw. Of course, she’d probably go into shock first when she saw him.

 

The slam of the front door told him that his parents had left with his foster brother, Keith.  He felt momentarily bad for Keith.  Keith hated the dusty pews and droning speakers as much as he did, but when they were both there they could whisper throughout the service, earning them a number of death glares from their parents.  

 

Shaking the guilt from his mind, Shiro inhaled deeply.  Today was the day he’d been planning on for so long.  He was eleven when he had come out to his friends as a lesbian, and thirteen when he had read just a blog post written by a transgender man and everything had just  _ clicked _ .  Now he was fifteen, he had been thinking about this day for the last two years.  Today was the day he would give the middle finger to his birth certificate and proudly announce to the world he was a guy.

 

Of course, he had decided to tell the world before he told his parents.

 

He stripped off his shirt and bra, quickly shaking the hair out and tossing both in the laundry basket.  He reached for the binder his best friend Matt had given him for his last birthday but froze, taking a moment to look at himself in the mirror.

 

Months of working out were starting to pay off, as muscles were defined in his arms and he could see what was becoming abs on his stomach. His breasts were still there like always, not small but not large.  He had let his eyebrows become bushy and had stopped shaving long ago, his mother had noticed with disgust.  It was unbecoming for a lady to have hairy legs, she reminded him too often.  Biting his lip, Shiro pulled the binder over his head and took a deep breath, trying to familiarize himself with the unpleasant squeeze.  Looking in the mirror he could see he still wasn’t flat, but they weren’t noticeable anymore.  He grinned, appreciating how much of a change that had made.  Opening the bathroom door, he walked to his room and opened his closet, grabbing an old flannel and pair of jeans belonging to Keith.  He was lucky to have a foster brother so close to his size.  After a brief struggle with the buttons of the flannel, he got the outfit on and laced up a pair of nondescript black sneakers.  

 

Shiro had always had a naturally low voice, but he had practiced speaking anyway when he was sure he was alone.

 

“My name is Takashi Shirogane,” he said to the empty room, his voice sounding deep and almost rough.  “I am a fifteen year old boy.”

 

The empty room, understandably, did not reply.  Feeling a little foolish, Shiro pulled on a hoodie and left the house, anxious to start the new life he had been reborn in.

  
  


He ended up, as most people on a journey did, at a coffee shop.  He figured he could just buy one of their double chocolate mochas before texting Matt and asking if he wanted to hang out downtown for a while.  His parents were staying late at the church today to talk to the bishop about something, so only Keith would notice he was gone.

 

The worn barista grumpily handed him the piping hot cup and Shiro glanced around for an empty table, noting one in the far corner of the room.  He sat down there and took off his hoodie, pulling out his phone to text Matt, when someone bumped into his table and caused his cup to turn on its side.  Hot brown liquid streamed all over the table and Shiro yelped as it spilled on his jeans, quickly jerking his chair back and reaching for a napkin to clean up the scalding liquid on his leg .  He looked up to give an annoyed glare at the perpetrator but froze instead.

 

“I’m so so sorry!  Here, let me take care of this,” the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life apologized, grabbing a few napkins from a dispenser at the closest table.  She leaned over to clear the spill on the table up and Shiro blushed, trying to look anywhere but her cleavage.  Her dyed pale hair was done up in a loose bun at the top of her head, and her bright blue eyes were wide and luminescent.  “Ow, did you ask for them to make it extra hot?  There you go, I’m so sorry about that.  Are you okay?”

 

“I, uh, like things to be hot,” Shiro managed to get out, aware of the blush no doubt crossing his face.  She laughed, and he was reminded of wind chimes in the breeze.  He was surprised he didn’t go into cardiac arrest.  “I, fuck, sorry, I didn’t mean it like-”

 

“I’m Allura Arus,” she cut him off with a small grin, holding out a delicate dark hand for him to shake.  Shiro took it, momentarily surprised at how strong her grip was.

 

“Takashi Shirogane.  My friends usually call me Shiro, or just Dad,” he replied jokingly.  She laughed and gestured at the chair opposite from him.

 

“Mind if I…”

 

“Please,” he replied, his phone forgotten on the table. She smiled and pulled the chair out, sitting across from him.

 

“So Shiro, how old are you?” she asked him.

 

“Fifteen, what about you?”

 

“I’m sixteen, although I don’t think I’ve seen you at my high school.  You don’t go to Altea High, do you?  Or do you go to that Christian boys’ school?”

 

Shiro’s heart skipped a beat.  She was perceiving him as male?

 

“I go to the STEAM school actually, I want to be an engineer at NASA one day,” he admitted.  

 

“That’s so cool!” Allura said brightly, looking genuinely interested.  “I mean, the STEAM school kids are snobby as hell and we’re rivals at the state science fair, but still cool!”  He blushed and laughed.

 

“Thanks?  So what do you want to do?”

 

She drummed one manicured nail on the table, looking thoughtful.

 

“I haven’t decided for sure yet, but I’m planning on getting a degree in law and being a lawyer for a few years, before running for mayor,” she said nonchalantly.  Shiro almost spit out his coffee.

 

“Wow, that’s really impressive!” he exclaimed.  She shrugged.

 

“Less impressive if you’re the- never mind.  It’s not nearly as impressive as NASA!”

 

Both teenagers laughed a little awkwardly.  Shiro felt his phone vibrate but ignored it.  Probably just Matt.

 

“So, uh, what sort of stuff are you into?” he asked, feeling his face turn bright red.  “I mean, like, hobbies!  Fuck, that came out wrong.”

 

Allura laughed for real this time, tossing her head of beautiful wavy hair back and laughing loudly and cheerfully.

 

“I’m the captain of my school’s debate team and I’m trained in a number of martial arts.  I also like reading and drawing, and kick ass at Model UN.  As for what I’m into, perhaps we should save that for a later date.”

 

“This is a date?” Shiro asked cautiously.  “Wait, fuck, no, later date is just an expression.”

 

Allura raised one eyebrow.

 

“I’m happy for this to be a date if you are,” she offered.  Shiro grinned.

 

“I would be charmed, princess.”

 

“Princess?” Allura asked, raising a single eyebrow.  Shiro blushed.

 

“Sorry, it’s just my first thought when I saw you was that you looked like a princess,” he confessed.  She smiled.

 

“That’s very sweet of you to say,” she said.  “I have no doubt you’re quite the prince charming.”

 

“I try,” Shiro joked with a shrug. She laughed again.

 

“What about you Shiro, what do you like to do?”

 

“Well, I love space so I try to go to the observatory every viewing night,” he admitted.  “Uh, I like robotics.  My best friend Matt and his little sibling Pidge and I created a robot that placed second at the state competition last year.  Pidge does all the coding while Matt and I build and design the robot itself.”

 

“That’s amazing!” Allura said brightly.  “It must be nice to go to a school where everyone has similar interests.”

 

Shiro shrugged.

 

“It can be, but can also get insanely competitive.  Keith, my foster brother, and Lance created a robot that won third, and no one was sure how they did it without killing each other until they kissed when the places were announced,” Shiro recalled fondly.  “Broke apart pretty quickly when they found out we’d placed higher than them though.”

 

“They sound interesting,” Allura said with a smile.  Shiro’s phone buzzed again, drawing both of their attention.

 

“Sorry, that could be Keith,” he said.  “Mind if I take it?”

 

“Go right ahead,” Allura said, pulling out what was clearly a sleek new iPhone of her own.  

 

Shiro glanced at the caller ID and froze, seeing his mom’s number on the screen.  He sighed and answered it.

 

“Sweetie, where are you?” his mom asked worriedly.  “I thought you were at home resting!”

 

“Sorry mom, I just stepped out for a moment to get some air and, uh, ran into a friend,” he lied, aware of the sudden lightness on his head.  

 

“Please darling, let me know these things.  You didn’t pick up your phone when Keith tried to call you and we’ve all been in a panic.”

 

“Sorry mom, I can be home soon,” he apologized, feeling genuinely bad for making her worry.  “I’m downtown now, I can catch a bus soon.”

 

“No need, your father is getting ready to pick you up now. Where are you?”

 

Shiro’s eyes went wide with horror, and Allura mouthed  _ everything okay?  _ At him worriedly.  He bit his lip and nodded, looking away.

 

“At, uh, the coffee shop on the corner of Seventh Street, but there’s really no need,” he told her in mild panic.  The morning had been one perfect bubble.  He had given himself the haircut he had always wanted, dressed the way he’d always wanted, just been himself.  He’d stopped hiding behind shoulder length curls and painted on lips, which always felt wrong no matter how many times he reminded himself there was nothing inherently feminine about either thing.  But other people thought there was, and he yearned more than anything to just be seen as  _ him.   _ Someone had finally seen him.  She was willowy but strong, sarcastic yet sweet, beautiful and brilliant.  The classic boy meets girl story, everything he’d wanted but thought he’d never had.  And that bubble, that beautiful, perfect bubble, was about to be shattered by the cold reality of the home he lived in and the people who had raised him.  How the fuck was that fair?

 

“Okay, see you soon honey,” his mom said cheerily.  Shiro felt his eyes prick with tears.

 

“Yeah, see you,” he muttered back, ending the call quickly.  Allura looked up at him expectantly.

 

“My, uh, dad is coming to pick me up,” he explained quickly.  She nodded slowly.

 

“Okay, is that why you’re crying?  Surely I haven’t been that good of company?”

 

“Huh?” Shiro asked, reaching up to touch his cheek.  His hands came away wet  “Oh.”

 

Allura leaned forward and gently placed her dark hand over his.

 

“I know we just met, but I’ve been told I’m a good listener?” Allura offered.  He laughed a little through the thickening tears.

 

“I-I can’t, I don’t want to ruin this,” he said, gesturing between the two of them.  She tilted her head.

 

“Shiro, this has been so wonderful I don’t think anything could ruin it,” she said.  He nodded, taking a breath to steel himself.  No matter how many times he did it, he didn’t think it would ever be easy to come out to someone.

 

“I’m transgender,” he spit out, looking away from her.  “Today is the first day I’m living as me, and my parents are going to try and take that away from me.”

 

She blinked.

 

“Okay.”

 

He stared at her in confusion.

 

“Just okay?”

 

Allura shrugged.

 

“Well, you being trans doesn’t bother me if that’s what you’re concerned about.  The problem here seems to be your father.  A big part of engineering is problem solving, right?  So Mr. STEAM school, how should you solve this?”

 

Shiro bit his lip.

 

“I should tell him the truth, so we can start working it out,” he admitted.  Allura beamed.

 

“Spoken like a true engineer!  Now, perhaps I should show you the public school kid way of solving problems?”

 

Shiro blinked.

 

“What would that be?” Shiro asked curiously.  Allura just laughed.

 

“You don’t!  You run from them instead!  What do you say we get out of here?” Allura asked, holding out a hand to him.

 

Shiro felt his face split in a happy grin, already picking up his phone to fire off a cryptic “don’t bother” text.

  
“Yes!  Consequences be damned, yes!” Shiro said, and he took her head and let himself be dragged away from the scent of roasting coffee beans and into the bustling street, the half empty cup of coffee left forgotten on the table.  

**Author's Note:**

> If you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community and ever need help, please visit http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ The Trevor Project is an organization (with a hotline) dedicated to making LGBTQ+ people feel safe and accepted. And if you're going though a difficult time now, just know that it WILL get better. One day, you'll be able to proudly hold your partner's hand in public. One day, you'll be able to buy that binder you've always wanted. One day, you'll have a group of friends like you, that will love and accept you no matter what. So please, stay safe so you can see all of that.  
> Love,  
> Liji


End file.
